Hades: Just a Cute Teddy Bear
by green frogs
Summary: Persephone doesn't understand why people fear Hades and call him evil. To her, he's simply as cute and cuddly as a teddy bear. Unless of course, he's jealous as hell that she's been seeing a certain mortal called Adonis.


Hades looked out across the river, tapping his fingers on the ebony throne and waiting. He usually doesn't have his throne or his court so close to the living realm. But today was an exception. Everybody in the Underworld knew what today was. Cleaning started a month ago. Flowers were specially brought down from the world above and stored in a way that they wouldn't die for at least a few more months. Her favorite fruits and vegetables were brought down. Only the best for her. New furniture was made and the Underworld looked almost as beautiful as Mount Olympus itself…except a little darker. But the whole of the Underworld had a cheerier tune to it than usual.

Hades looked out across the river again. No sign of her.

It was getting late into the day and he would start pacing any moment now, like a nervous groom right before the wedding night. If anyone had seen him from the land of the living, he would definitely be a laughing stock by now. God of the Underworld? The almighty that was sometimes even more feared than Zeus and Poseidon? No mortals dare even utter his name. Yet look at him now. Tapping his fingers and waiting like a puppy for his wife to come home. Definitely didn't fit the reputation of an Almighty God.

But he didn't care.

He had waited for 6 long, painful months. 6 months filled with work and without a smile or a laughing voice. He missed her voice, the way her hair smelled like all the goodness of the Earth and her innocence above all. He missed stroking that long beautiful autumn colored hair. He missed kissing her goodnight. He missed everything about her.

Hades sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He was now starting to sound like a lovesick teenager.

He rubbed his forehead as he thought about what had happened 2 months ago, when he had made a journey to the realm of the living to visit Persephone. He had been merely _conversing_ with a Nymph when he saw Persephone. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Sure, the nymph was pretty and he wouldn't mind talking with her for a while but Persephone just overreacted. Turning the poor girl into a plant? Hades rubbed his eyes now. He was getting a migraine just thinking about what had happened. She had said something about never wanting to see a cheating jerk like him again who'd chase after any pretty nymph's togas. Then she disappeared in a huff of ivies and he hasn't seen her since.

Women can be so complicated sometimes, even if you are a God.

And he couldn't believe Persephone called him a cheating jerk. Not once has he cheated on her over the past years. At least he wasn't like Zeus who would rape or knock up any pretty girl he sees. No wonder Hera was bonkers everyday.

This whole thing was becoming a big headache.

"What?" he barked to a servant at his side who had been hovering around for quite sometime, nervously wringing his hands.

"She is reported to have stopped in Mount Olympus," his servant said with a bow and a nervous swallow. He knew how sensitive Hades would get for any momentary delay in the return of his beloved. Really, the servants all had to draw straws to find out who would have to bring the bad news. Hades had a tendency to do hateful, mercilessly things to the messenger. All feared his wrath.

"MOUNT OLYMPUS?" Hades bellowed. And his anger was worse.

The servant merely nodded and swallowed. His therapist has always taught him to think of the positive. Well, at least he couldn't die. That was a positive thing right? Unless Hades wanted to send him back to the living and kill him again.

"What is she doing up there for?" asked Hades with another bark, grabbing his two-pronged fork with anger.

"The Great Giant Killer Hermes tells that she is conversing with Aphrodite…over a man," answered the servant with sweat pouring down his face. Positive thoughts. Think positive thoughts.

"A MAN!" came the bellow that shook the underground to its knees.

The servant started twitching in place.

"WHAT WOULD SHE WANT WITH A MAN?"

The servant shook his head and continued to grab at his toga nervously.

"Get my chariot!" and with that, Hades left his throne with a huff.

Too bad the servant didn't hear him. He had already fainted to the ground.

* * *

I looked over at Aphrodite and frowned. She can be a real bitch sometimes. I don't know what the guys see in her. Seriously. I mean she may be pretty and everything but she's such a bitch. 

"Persephone," she said with a mock sweetness about her.

Now I understood why Athena and Hera disliked her. It wasn't jealousy. She was just a bitch.

"What?" I said.

"You know Zeus is going to vote in favor of me. I've helped create Adonis. And he loves me more too. You're just jealous," she said with a smile.

And you're so evil.

"She's jealous that you don't have a brain up there in that empty head of yours?" said Athena, coming to my rescue. I smiled at her with relief.

She looked between Athena and me.

"Whatever," she said with a wave of her hand and walked off in order to find Ares. At least she was smart enough to know that no one would win in a battle of wits against Athena herself.

"Thanks," I said, giving Athena a tight hug.

"Any time Persephone. Seriously, I would go out of my way just to bring down the ego of that girl a notch or two," she said with a smile.

I laughed as I looked after Aphrodite who was currently whispering things into Ares' ear.

"So are you going down today?" Athena asked with a kind smile.

"Maybe," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. Even thinking about Hades made me mad.

"Why maybe? Today is the day isn't it?"

"He can wait. I'm not forever at his beck and call," I said loudly.

Athena turned me around and looked me straight in the eye. She was the kind of goddess who could really get the truth out of you if she wanted to.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said, breaking eye contact and looked around the Olympian halls for anything so that I wouldn't have to stare into those eyes.

"Come on Persephone. Did you guys have a fight?"

"No. Why would I bother to fight with that pig? That's just a waste of breath."

Athena looked at me with the most intense gaze and I caved. What can I say? She really does know everything.

"So he was visiting me a couple of months ago. He always does that when I go to mother. He always visits every week or so. Sometimes more. Anyways, I was with my nymphs and we were planting flowers in this vast field. I realized one of my nymphs were gone so I looked around for her. And guess whom I saw behind a tree with her? Yeah that's right. Hades. That bastard was flirting with her. She was blushing and he was bending over talking to her. I mean seriously! He comes to visit me and he flirts with another nymph? Can you believe that?" I asked, taking a seat and I put my head into my hands.

"The whole incident was horrid. I got angry and I told him to go back to hell. He looked all-innocent like he was doing nothing at all. Can you believe the guy? And then I turned her into a plant. I suppose I shouldn't have done that but I was so mad, you know?"

Athena nodded sympathetically.

I smiled and continued on, "So I called him a cheating jerk and left. I've stayed in Olympus with mother ever since. You know Hades hates coming up here."

"So you're avoiding him?"

"Not exactly avoiding…" I said wringing my hands a little.

"Oh please Persephone. You are totally avoiding him. And this thing with Adonis and Aphrodite. Is this about Hades too?" Athena gave me that don't-you-dare-lie stare and I sighed.

"Not exactly. I mean Aphrodite is such a bitch if she thinks she can just take him."

"But you just want to make Hades jealous, don't you?"

But before I could say anything, the halls of Olympus thundered and the doors flew open. Athena and I both jumped to our feet as a black chariot crashed into the golden halls. Well, well, well…speak of the devil.

"Hades!" bellowed Zeus from his throne. "What brings you to Olympus?"

No one really liked Hades all that much up here. He was rude, easy to anger and sometimes sullen and quiet. Sometimes, even I wonder why I married that guy.

"Where's Persephone?" he asked.

And now I really want to dig a grave for myself and hide in it.

Instead, I ducked behind Athena.

"What do you want with her?" Athena asked with an arching eyebrow.

Hades had already spotted me of course and was pushing past a whispering Aphrodite and an annoyed Hera.

He came to a stop in front of Athena.

"What matters I have with her is none of your business," he said. No one but Zeus dared to speak to Athena like such, not even Poseidon. But Hades was a whole different kind of God.

"Persephone doesn't want to go with you," Athena said bravely on my behalf.

"Move aside or I shall move you!" he yelled. I've never quite seen him so mad before, not even when people are trying to cheat death. Is he perhaps…jealous? Of Adonis?

No, Hades wasn't like that. He's one of those guys who had this I-don't-care attitude unless of course it relates to his job. Complete workaholic if you ask me.

He stamped his staff to show that he meant it. Not even Zeus dared to get in Hades' way when Hades got angry. Athena stepped aside quietly and walked over to stand by Zeus' side. Yeah. So much for always there for you.

He walked up towards me until he towered over me. Did I mention he's very tall? At least 6'3. He's quite handsome, I suppose. Not the same kind of handsome as Adonis or Ares. He was more of a broken soul kind of handsome, in that dark and mysterious way. I looked up and if I hadn't known him for such a long time, I would've cowered in fear. Instead, I stood up straight and stared right into those very gray eyes, like the sea before a storm.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with as much courage as I could muster.

"Why aren't you in the Underworld?" he asked, not bothering to answer my question. Typical Hades.

"It's not time yet," I countered.

"Today is the day," he said coldly. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He seemed to have stopped being mad and was merely cold. Hades has never been cold to me before. He's been mad, happy, lustful, affectionate and even cute but never cold.

"The day isn't over," I replied.

"Who's Adonis?"

I was surprised for a second. Was he really jealous of Adonis? Is that even possible?

"Just a guy," I said nonchalantly.

"Come home with me," he ordered.

"No," I said as I took a step back.

"It's not an option!" he screamed.

By now all the Gods have gathered around and probably found this very amusing indeed. This'll probably be in tomorrow's gossip column. I can see it now. _Hades tries to get wife back. Wife beats him up to a pulp and calls him a cheating bastard._

"Yes it is you cheating bastard!"

I expected yelling. I expected him to stamp his staff like a little kid and whine his head off.

"Sephy, I'm sorry," came the soft voice. It was so small and quiet that I was the only one there who had heard. (Hades didn't like to show any sort of kindness or weakness in front of the other gods) I almost gave in at the nickname. And the apology. Hades usually never apologizes and hates it beyond all else.

"Not enough," I said, despite the fact that I was taking a step forward towards him. I knew I was going to cave any moment now. Just one more apology and I would be his. I suppose that's how it is with Hades and me. I was his no matter what he did or said. Even if he had a harem of women, I would still love him the same as I do if I was the only one for him.

"It was stupid of me and I was just being an idiot. I love you. You know that. Now can we please stop this? You don't really love _that mortal_ do you?" he whispered.

It was deliciously cute that he didn't know the kind of power he had over me. He would always think that I was out of reach, almost always running away from him. I could tell he thinks that by the way he looks at me, and the expression on his face when I leave every spring, like I was never coming back. Then in the autumn, when I make that journey to the Underworld, he's always so happily surprised that I've come back to him.

But he had such a power over me and I could never escape. Perhaps I never want to. I looked forward to the winter months I would spend in his realm. I looked forward to the visits he paid me during the summer, leaving behind his work and kingdom just to spend a night with me. He was thoughtful in the ways that no one could ever believe Hades, omnipotent god of the underworld, would be.

So I gave him a small kiss on the cheek and I smiled at him. I pulled away with that same smile on my face, that happy, affectionate, idiotic grin. He seemed to understand what I meant through just the look from my eyes and he smiled. He was very handsome when he smiled. He smiled because he knew that I belonged only to him. So it wasn't much of a surprise as he grabbed me and bent down, enveloping me in a deep kiss.

2 months I haven't seen him and it felt like forever as he kissed me. I missed this. I really did. I heard clapping somewhere in the background and couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Hades pulled her into his arms and gave a deep sigh, his warm breath stirring her hair. It had been a long day and an even longer night in bed. 

"Darling, did you change the table?" asked Persephone as she laid back into the chest of Hades and looked around their bedroom. There was not only a new table but a new wardrobe as well.

"Only the best for you, Sephy," he replied as he kissed her hair. That long luscious autumn colored hair he was longing to touch only that morning.

"So she meant nothing?" Persephone asked again as she turned around in his arms and push herself up a little from the bed in order to stare into his eyes. Those lovely gray eyes that had surprisingly, so much warmth.

"Nothing at all. We didn't even do anything. Not even a kiss," he whispered reassuringly, taking a whiff of the way her body smelled. Like the earth and the flowers and the waters and the birds. Who needed other women when you've got Persephone?

"Am I the only one for you?"

He reached up and caught her head and slowly pulled her down towards him. He planted a soft kiss on her lips before saying, "The only one."

Persephone smiled and settled back into his arms.

"By the way, what happened with Aphrodite?" asked Hades.

"Oh nothing. She didn't win. I got to keep Adonis for 4 months of the year," said Persephone with a smile as she remembered the look on Aphrodite's face when she heard the judgment call from Zeus.

"That blond idiot is going to be here for the whole time you're here?" asked Hades with a scowl.

"No love. He'll be with mother and me during the summer."

"I don't trust him," Hades said.

"Darling, don't be jealous. He'll be a nice help for mother and he's a nice kid. Don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you." Hades said with another kiss.

"Plus, I think its cute when you're jealous," Persephone said with a twinkle in her eye as she looked at Hades.

"I'm not jealous," he defended quickly.

"Then why did you come rushing into Mount Olympus like a madman? You hate even stepping foot into that place."

"I was just…" it was definitely rare to find Hades a loss for words but even rarer when he was blushing red as a tomato.

Persephone laughed and kissed him.

Persephone didn't understand why people would call Hades evil or dark or scary. To her, he was as cute and cuddly as a teddy bear.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? I know it's a little too cute and romantic but I'm hoping you don't mind that much. Anyways, I see there's a lot of Persephone/Hades stories up here so if you all review, I might start a whole series of one-shots that deal with all the Greek god pairings. I've already got Ares/Aphrodite kind of written up. So review and look for **Ares: Not God of War but God of Sex**! 


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